Countdown to Oscars

Posts Tagged ‘The Academy Awards’

In his 2006 Oscar acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor, George Clooney said the following about Hollywood as a forum for social change:

We’re the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn’t really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects. This Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. (About.com; “The Politics of George Clooney; Actor and Liberal Activist”)

Hollywood is often more progressive than other parts of the country, sure, and great films often lends pathos to social issues. They may even galvanize movements or rally support from previous non-believers. But there are other, extenuating facts we ought to consider before labeling Hollywood and the Academy the vanguard of social progress. Hattie McDaniel, for instance, did have to sit in the back of the ballroom at a segregated table during 1939 Academy Awards.

Every Monday, Rachel will pick a TV show you need to watch out for that week and/or in the near future.

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When ABC’s Nashville premiered in the fall, critics were immedidiately smitten with the new drama, with several calling it the best pilot of the season.

The story of country star Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) and her young competitor Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) is a simple one, but at the same time, it’s not so simple. Backstabbing, cheating, undermining and more abound in this series, proving that it’s not easy to reach the top — and it’s even harder to stay there.

Its initial strength aside, though, the stories stalled as the show crawled toward its winter finale, with love triangles seemingly going nowhere and time spent on characters about whom viewers could care less (As much as Eric Close tries, Teddy is incredibly boring).

Luckily, Nashville is picking up the pace and developing its players a little more, and I increasingly look forward to it week after week. Wednesday’s episode, “Dear Brother,” looks like another fun ride, so here’s why you should keep an eye on Nashville:

Five finalists, selected from 51 entries representing 29 countries, will advance in the Foreign Film category in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Up to three winners will be selected from this group and brought to Los Angeles to join U.S.-based Student Academy Award winners for a week of industry activities and social events. The festivities will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.